Islands of the damned : a Marine at war in the Pacific

Easy to listen to (excellent narrator) book about WWII stories in the Pacific. I thought it was very similar to With the Old Breed (Eugene Sledge) in style and, of course, content (because Mr. Sledge was in the same outfit as Mr. Burgin). I found it funny that RV Burgin occasionally said "I didn't agree with Sledge" about some person and then proceeded to describe the person exactly as Sledge described him... so he actually kinda DID agree but I guess RV Burgin was a bit more generous in his friendship. I just found it funny.

Excellent and honest look at the battles of Peleliu and Okinawa as seen through the memory of R.V. Burgin. The prose is simple but engaging. He points out at various times when he doesnt agree with fellow vet and author Eugene Sledge's book 'With the Old Breed' which is fine but at the same time I feel those little things couldve been left out. Regardless thats the only nitpick I have with this book.

Very succinct and to the point biography about the battles on Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, and Okinawa. Sometimes it’s painful to hear about the moments these heroes went though. The pain, blood, and tears. It should never be forgotten. Best quote:

“What sticks with me now is not so much the pain and terror and sorrow of the war, though I remember that well enough. What really sticks with me is the honor I had of defending my country, and of serving in the company of these men.”

A wonderful first-person view of the some the most fierce fighting during WW2. R.V. Burgin is a naturally likable person and his personality and character comes through in his autobiography. Great insight on what it means to be a Marine and how one deals successfully with life in combat.

This review will serve as a review for two WW2 memoirs that unrelated by distance and disparate cultures are inexorably bound by the profound similarities of their wartime experiences. One was a heavy machine gunner for the German Wehrmacht and the second was a mortar gunner for the US Marine Corp. Both started as replacements but were very soon the veterans. Both served in hellishly brutal campaigns; one started at Stalingrad and fought all the way back to Germany during the retreat from Russia, the other was part of four island landings, Peleliu and Okinawa, two notable for their US casualties, as part of the "Old Breed" in the Pacific. Their experiences clearly demonstrate that "War is Hell"
Not authors but storytellers as they show more describe the wounding and deaths of their comrades some of whom, they never knew their names. Neither side was taking prisoners and it seemed appropriate given the circumstances. Heroism abounded and ineptitude at the command level was a frequent cause of casualties. Hitler's and Tojo's ambitions sent them to a war that became a fight to the bitter end. That both survived and lived long lives enabled them to write these fitting memorials to their comrades. show less

There is great power in reading the story of someone that has actually been there. This is the not the back seat telling of war from the scholars desk. It is the front line experiences of a man that lived through some of the most brutal combat of the Pacific Islands during WWII.

He does no sugar coat what it was like. He tells funny things that happened. Describes training, transport, time off, as well was the trials of combat. If you want to understand what it would have been like to have been a Marine in this conflict this is the book to read.

The style is engaging and personal and the author keeps you informed of the big picture going on while he is over there but focuses on what he experienced. An excellent memoir.

Burgin joined the U.S. marines in November 1942 and served to the last battle on Okinawa. He served in Company K, Third Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment, First Marine Division battling his way across the Pacific Islands of New Britain, Peleliu, and Okinawa. He found the Marine rest area on the pacific island of Pavuvu a very unpleasant place as well.
If you have watched the TV series Pacific, you may recognize his name as he is depicted in the series because as the Sergeant in charge of mortars in Company K, he had Eugene Sledge as an ammo carrier. Sledge wrote With the Old Breed, one of the books used as the basis for the program.
Life as a Marine fighting fanatical Japanese soldiers was full of terror, horror, and disgusting scenes but show more there were those humorous moments. He is candid about some of the accidents that occurred in the heat of battle. A very vivid picture of war in the Pacific as seen by the man on the ground. show less